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כתובות 60
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At what age? — Raba in the name of R. Jeremiah b. Abba who had it from Rab replied: Three months. Samuel, however, said: Thirty days; while R. Isaac stated in the name of R. Johanan: Fifty days. R. Shimi b. Abaye stated: The halachah is in agreement with the statement of R. Isaac which was made in the name of R. Johanan. One can well understand [the respective views of] Rab and R. Johanan since they are guided by the child's keenness of perception. According to Samuel, however, is such [precocity] at all possible? — When Rami b. Ezekiel came he said, 'Pay no regard to those rules which my brother Judah laid down in the name of Samuel; for this said Samuel: As soon as [the child] knows her'. A [divorced woman] once came to Samuel [declaring her refusal to suckle her son]. 'Go', he said to R. Dimi b. Joseph, 'and test her case'. He went and placed her among a row of women and, taking hold of her child, carried him in front of them. When he came up to her [the child] looked at her face with joy, but she turned her eye away from him. 'Lift up your eyes'. he called to her, 'come, take away your son'. How does a blind child know [its mother]? R. Ashi said: By the smell and the taste. Our Rabbis taught: A child must be breast fed for twenty-four months. From that age onwards he is to be regarded as one who sucks an abominable thing; these are the words of R. Eliezer. R. Joshua said: [He may be breast fed] even for four or five years. If, however, he ceased after the twenty-four months and started again he is to be regarded as sucking an abominable thing. The Master said, 'From that age onwards he is to be regarded as one who sucks an abominable thing'. But I could point out a contradiction: As it might have been presumed that human milk is forbidden since such [prohibition may be deduced from the following] logical argument: If in the case of a beast in respect of which the law of contact has been relaxed [the use of] its milk has nevertheless been restricted, how much more should the use of his milk be restricted in the case of a human being in respect of whom the law of contact has been restricted; hence it was specifically stated, The camel because it cheweth the cud [… it is unclean unto you], only 'it' is unclean; human milk, however, is not unclean but clean. As it might also have been presumed that only [human] milk is excluded because [the use of milk] is not equally [forbidden] in all cases but that [human] blood is not excluded since [the prohibition of eating blood] is equally applicable in all cases, hence it was specifically stated, it, only 'it' is forbidden; human blood, however, is not forbidden but permitted. And [in connection with this teaching] R. Shesheth has stated: Even [a Rabbinical] ordinance of abstinence is not applicable to it! — This is no difficulty. The latter [refers to milk] that has left [the breast] whereas the former [refers to milk] which has not left [the breast]. [This law, however], is reversed in the case of blood, as it was taught: [Human] blood which [is found] upon a loaf of bread must be scraped off and [the bread] may only then be eaten; but that which is between the teeth may be sucked without any scruple. The Master stated, 'R. Joshua said: [He may be breast fed] even for four or five years'. But was it not taught that R. Joshua said: Even when [he carries] his bundle on his shoulders? — Both represent the same age. R. Joseph stated: The halachah is in agreement with R. Joshua. It was taught: R. Marinus said, A man suffering from an attack on the chest may suck milk [from a beast] on the Sabbath. What is the reason? — Sucking is an act of unusual unloading against which, where pain is involved, no preventive measure has been enacted by the Rabbis. R. Joseph stated: The halachah is in agreement with R. Marinus. It was taught: Nahum the Galatian stated, If rubbish was collected in a gutter it is permissible to crush it with one's foot quietly on the Sabbath, and one need have no scruples about the matter. What is the reason? — Such repair is carried out in an unusual manner against which, when loss is involved, the Rabbis enacted no preventive measure. R. Joseph stated: The halachah is in agreement with the ruling of Nahum the Galatian. 'If he ceased, however, after the twenty-four months and started again he is to be regarded as one who sucks an abominable thing'. And for how long? — R. Judah b. Habiba replied in the name of Samuel: For three days. Others read: R. Judah b. Habiba recited before Samuel: 'For three days'. Our Rabbis taught: A nursing mother whose husband died within twenty-four months [of the birth of their child] shall neither be betrothed nor married again
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until [the completion of the] twenty-four months; so R. Meir. R. Judah however, permits [remarriage] after eighteen months. Said R. Nathan b. Joseph: Those surely, are the very words of Beth Shammai and these are the very words of Beth Hillel; for Beth Shammai ruled: Twentyfour months, while Beth Hillel ruled: Eighteen months! R. Simeon b. Gamaliel replied, I will explain: According to the view [that a child must be breast fed for] twenty-four months [a nursing mother] is permitted to marry again after twenty-one months, and according to the view [that it is to be breast fed for] eighteen months she may marry again after fifteen months; because a [nursing mother's] milk deteriorates only three months after [her conception]. 'Ulla stated: The halachah is in agreement with the ruling of R. Judah; and Mar 'Ukba stated: R. Hanina permitted me to marry [a nursing woman] fifteen months after [the birth of her child]. Abaye's metayer once came to Abaye and asked him: Is it permissible to betroth [a nursing woman] fifteen months after [her child's birth]? — The other answered him: In the first place [whenever there is disagreement] between R. Meir and R. Judah the halachah is in agreement with the view of R. Judah; and, furthermore, [in a dispute between] Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel the halachah is in agreement with the view of Beth Hillel; and while 'Ulla said, 'The halachah is in agreement with R. Judah', Mar 'Ukba stated, 'R. Hanina permitted me to marry [a nursing woman] fifteen months after [the birth of her child]', how much more then [is there no need for you to wait the longer period] since you only intend betrothal. When he came to R. Joseph the latter told him, 'Both Rab and Samuel ruled that [a nursing woman] must wait twenty-four months exclusive of the day on which her child was born and exclusive of the day on which she is betrothed'. Thereupon he ran three parasangs after him, (some say, one parasang along sand mounds), but failed to overtake him. Said Abaye: The statement made by the Rabbis that 'Even [a question about the permissibility of eating] an egg with kutha a man shall not decide in a district [which is under the jurisdiction] of his Master' was not due [to the view that this might] appear as an act of irreverence but to the reason that [a disciple] would have no success in dealing with the matter. For I have in fact learned the tradition of Rab and Samuel and yet I did not get the opportunity of applying it. Our Rabbis taught: [If a nursing mother] gave her child to a wet nurse or weaned him, or if he died, she is permitted to marry again forthwith. R. Papa and R. Huna son of R. Joshua intended to give a practical decision in accordance with this Baraitha, but an aged woman said to them, 'I have been in such a position and R. Nahman forbade me [to marry again]. Surely, this could not have been so; for has not R. Nahman in fact permitted [such remarriage] in the Exilarch's family? — The family of the Exilarch was different [from ordinary people] because no nurse would break her agreement with them. Said R. Papi to them: Could you not have inferred it from the following? It has been taught: [A married woman] who was always anxious to spend her time at her paternal home, or who has some angry quarrel at her husband's home, or whose husband was in prison, or had gone to a country beyond the sea, or was old or infirm, or if she herself was barren, old, incapable of procreation or a minor, or if she miscarried after the death of her husband, or was in any other way incapacitated for propagation, must wait three months. These are the words of R. Meir. R. Jose, however, permits betrothal or marriage forthwith. And [in connection with this] R. Nahman stated in the name of Samuel: The halachah is in agreement with R. Meir in respect of his restrictive measures! — 'This', they answered him, 'did not occur to us'. The law is [that if the child] died [remarriage by his mother] is permitted [forthwith], but if she has weaned him [her remarriage] is forbidden. Mar son of R. Ashi ruled: Even if the child died [the remarriage of the mother] is forbidden, it being possible that she has killed it so as to be in a position to marry. It once actually happened that a mother strangled her child. This incident, however, is no proof. That woman was an imbecile, for it is not likely that [sane] women would strangle their children. Our Rabbis taught: If a woman was given a child to suckle she must not suckle together with it either her own child or the child of any friend of hers. If she agreed to a small allowance for board she must nevertheless eat much. Whilst in charge of the child she must not eat things which are injurious for the milk. Now that you said [that she must] not [suckle] 'her own child' was there any need [to state] 'nor the child of any friend of hers'? — It might have been assumed that only her own child [must not be suckled] because owing to her affection for it she might supply it with more [than the other child] but that the child of a friend of hers [may well be suckled] because if she had no surplus [of milk] she would not have given any at all. Hence we were taught [that even the child of a friend must not be suckled]. 'If she agreed to a small allowance for board she must nevertheless eat much'. Wherefrom? — R. Shesheth replied: From her own. 'Whilst in charge of the child she must not eat things which are injurious'. What are these? — R. Kahana replied: For instance, cuscuta, lichen, small fishes and earth. Abaye said: Even pumpkins and quinces. R. Papa said: Even a palm's heart and unripe dates. R. Ashi said: Even kamak and fish-hash. Some of these cause the flow of the milk to stop while others cause the milk to become turbid. A woman who couples in a mill will have epileptic children. One who couples on the ground will have children with long necks. [A woman] who treads on the blood of an ass will have scabby children. One who eats mustard will have intemperate children. One who eats cress will have blear-eyed children. One who eats fish brine will have children with blinking eyes. One who eats clay will have ugly children. One who drinks intoxicating liquor will have ungainly children. One who eats meat and drinks wine will have children
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